


A Heart, A Home

by Lepidopteran (inarticulate)



Category: Suikoden Tierkreis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-16
Updated: 2011-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-19 11:17:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inarticulate/pseuds/Lepidopteran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marica negotiates a tricky bathing situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Heart, A Home

Marica stopped in the door to the baths as she caught sight of the other women already occupying the space: Mun-Tsang in one corner and Len-Lien in the other. Though neither was looking at the other, and Len-Lien had her eyes closed, Marica thought she could feel tension as thick as a wall between them. For a moment, she considered turning around and pretending that she hadn't meant to come have a bath, but then Len-Lien opened her eyes, blinked, and smiled tentatively at her.

Well, Marica thought, it's now or never. She took a deep breath and stepped in, moving towards the buckets to wash herself off. Maybe she could stall for time there; she was pretty much covered in grime and blood, after all.

Luck wasn't on her side. Though she took as much time as she could washing each strand of hair and making sure none of the spatter on her face remained, by the time she slid into the steaming water, Mun-Tsang and Len-Lien were still there. "So," she said uncomfortably. "It's just you two down here?"

"Chrodechild and Fredegund were here," Len-Lien replied, her voice soft. "They… left."

Marica sighed and sank further down into the water. "At least we have the whole place to ourselves." She glanced back at Mun-Tsang to try to include her in the conversation. "It's pretty nice, isn't it? We didn't have anything this good back in Citro Village."

Mun-Tsang rose rather abruptly, not bothering to cover herself with her towel. Marica yanked her head back around so she wouldn't be caught staring at the tattoos that curved around and under Mun-Tsang's breasts and teased over the curve of her hips. When loud splashes and retreating footsteps indicated that she was gone, Marica frowned at Len-Lien. "Was it something I said?"

"I don't think so." Len-Lien had pulled her knees to her chest under the water. "It would not be polite to speculate, in any case. Would you tell me what it was like in Citro Village?"

Marica mimicked Len-Lien's pose. "What about it?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "To me, it's just home. I always wanted to be in the Defense Corps because Citro was so special. Everyone there is like my family."

"You never thought about leaving, then."

Len-Lien's expression was unreadable, and Marica suddenly wished she had grilled Liu more about the Scribes before attempting any sort of conversation. "I'm pretty sure I got angry with my dad once when I was little and probably threatened to go live with the animals in the wilderness. I didn't even think other villages existed back then, though, so I could never imagine leaving."

Len-Lien's pose relaxed slightly, and Marica let out a little hiss of breath in relief. She hadn't said anything taboo, at least. "I… considered leaving my home, long ago. The traditions were too strict. But I was afraid and did not leave."

Marica hesitated for a moment before venturing, "So how do you like it out here?"

"It is strange," Len-Lien admitted. "It is very different from what we are used to."

"That's not necessarily bad."

"No." Len-Lien smiled, just a small thing, but friendlier than the polite one she used when someone tried to get in the way of her laundry. "People are very friendly here. Like you."

Marica dropped her gaze in a sudden flush of self-consciousness. "Yeah, that's just the Citro way." She tipped her head back onto the rim of the bath to stare up at the ceiling, wondering what to say next that wouldn't sound entirely out-of-place.

Before she could settle on something, Len-Lien said, in a voice even quieter than usual, "Perhaps Mun-Tsang envies you that as well."

"That…" Marica sat up, but Len-Lien was looking studiously down at her hands through the water, so she decided it was best not to push it. "You know," she said instead, "you're always welcome in Citro village. We can take you to visit sometime, after this is all over. If you want to see the harvest festival or something…"

"Thank you, Marica," Len-Lien said, looking up again and smiling that small smile. "That is very kind."

With that, she stood up. She used the towel to shield herself, unlike Mun-Tsang, and when she left, Marica just sank down even further, her heart racing from the heat of the water already. After a moment, she shook her head and stood to follow Len-Lien out; empty, the baths were just too big to be comfortable.


End file.
